You Raise Me Up
by CielFangirl325
Summary: Austria is stuck in a wheelchair and is forced to give up a lot. When he discovers one way he might not have to give up one of these things, will he take his chance and go with it? Wheelchair!Austria
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I got the inspiration to write this because there is a huge lack of Austria stories involving two things that people often forget or never know. Number one, Austria is the breeder of Lippizaner horses and has some part in the Riding School in Vienna. Number two, not many people know this but Austria spent some of his life in a wheelchair (it says so in his character notes). I also felt a need to write this because I myself am disabled (in a wheelchair) and am a Para Equestrian. Just a note, this story takes place in modern times.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Hetalia: Axis Powers.**

Austria, or Roderich Edelstein was staring out of his bedroom window emotionlessly. He sighed and reached a hand down to stroke his legs. _'My useless legs._' The personified country thought bitterly. He sighed once more and rolled his wheelchair out of his bedroom and into the main parlor of his giant house. Austria smiled slightly when he saw his beloved grand piano. He rolled up to it and pushed the lid off of it with difficulty. It frustrated him greatly that things he used to be able to do without much thought or effort were so hard for him now. He stroked the piano keys, staring down at them. The man hated that he used to be looked up to. He used to be superior. Now, everyone literally looked down at him. They treated him as helpless and weak. '_I am not weak! I don't think..._' Austria thought sadly and began to play on that beloved old grand piano. He played a piece he had composed himself. It was called "Dark Night of the Soul". He poured out all of his emotion into the piece, but he never showed any of that emotion in his face or body language. The pianist finished his piece and let his hands rest on his lap.

There was a sudden knock on the door and Austria gave a jolt of surprise. He rolled his wheelchair over to his front door and tugged it open with both hands and a lot of effort. Germany, or Ludwig Beilschmidt was standing on his porch. "Vhy are you just standing zere like an idiot? Come in!" Austria said and rolled his eyes. Germany walked into the old mansion and took the door from Austria, shutting it behind him. Austria once again rolled his eyes. "You know you don't have to do zhat. I can get it myself." Germany just took a seat on the couch in the main sitting room. Austria parked his wheelchair across from his guest. "So vhy have you come to call?" He asked. "Do you have somezhing to tell me? Or are you just bored?"

Germany shrugged. "I vas bored and thought you might enjoy some company." He looked around and his eyes naturally gravitated toward the window. It was bright and sunny outside with not even a single cloud in the sky. He could see flowers and trees growing in the acres outside. There was a pond in the center main garden. Swans swum around the pond gracefully. It looked very peaceful. "Vhy don't ve go outside? It looks rather nice." He suggested. Austria sighed and slightly reluctantly nodded. He didn't particularly enjoy going outside anymore, even though he owned as many acres as he did (thirteen in total). It was hard for him to get around on the cobblestone path and through the dirt and grass. It was also somewhat depressing. He used to walk through his gardens for hours or go explore the nearby forest and take pictures of and write notes about what he saw. Now it was nearly impossible to do that. Austria turned and lead the way into the gardens. Once they were outside, they went over to a little coffee table and once again sat across from each other.

Germany looked around at his surroundings. It was all as he had seen out of the window in the sitting room, but to his far left he could see a barn and a paddock. The paddock had at least five horses in it, if not more. This was something he didn't see from the window. On the fence of the paddock hung a sign that read '**HORSES FOR SALE! ALL MUST GO!**'

Germany's eyebrows shot up into his hair when he saw the sign. "Vhat is vith zhat sign on ze paddock fence? Are you really selling all of your horses?" He asked his companion.

Austria nodded. Whether he knew it or not, there was a hint of sadness in his expression.

"But vhy?" Germany questioned. He was shocked. '_Why would Austria do such a thing?'_ He thought. _'He loves and prizes his horses over most things! Everyone knows that!'_

Austria sighed. "I have no use for zhem now. I am stuck in zis vheelchair. I can no longer ride." He sighed once more and stared off in the direction of the paddock and barn.

Germany could see sadness and longing in the other's eyes. He suddenly remembered something he had come across on the internet.

_Flashback_

Germany sat at his computer checking his email. He only did this because it was a rainy day and he had nothing to do, plus he barely ever checked his email. He scrolled through the pages and pages of unread email and sighed. He didn't know why he was doing this. Most of his inbox was just junk mail anyway. He was about to press the famous 'control, alt, delete' keys on his computer when one of the emails caught his eye. It was from a . The personified country knew who this was but clicked on the email anyway. It read:

_Hey Germany! :D_

_I found this video YouTube and thought you might enjoy it since your country loves equestrian sports and all that jazz. Click on the link included in this message and take a look! Don't worry. I'm not trolling you!_

_Peace, love, and hamburgers,_

_America aka Alfred F. Jones aka THE HERO!_

Germany rolled his eyes. _'Isn't Youtube that stupid website where teenagers with no lives post pointless vidoes of pointless things?' _He thought. _'Like those stupid little puppets of characters from that children's novel series that England and everyone else on this planet seems to love? Ah, no matter. Horses are very interesting. I guess it couldn't hurt to take a look at this.' _He clicked the link that was included in the email and the video popped up. The title of the clip was _**'Para Equestrian Freestyle Grade IV - Bejing 2008'**_ The video turned out to be a dressage rider and horse preforming a musical freestyle at the Bejing Olympics in 2008. At the end of the preformance instead of saluting the judges like he was supposed to, the rider hugged his horse and trumphantly pumped his fist into the air. He looked straight at the camera for a split second. Germany could see tears of joy in the rider's eyes. After that one look at the camera the clip ended.

Germany found himself of all people reaching a hand up to wipe tears from his eyes._ 'Para Equestrian.'_ He thought. _'I know I've heard or seen that term somewhere.'_ He decided to Google it. He scrolled through the links, clicked on one that looked good, and started to read. The article read:

_**Para-equestrian sport is a form of equestrian sport which is practiced by people with disabilities. Many disabled athletes are able to hold their ground in competitions designed for the able-bodied, but para-equestrian opens the world of competition to riders with severe disabilities as well, allowing them to compete in a serious, focused environment. Many athletes who participate in para-equestrian are quite talented, and some are considered to be among the elite equestrians of the world, regardless of their physical condition.**_

_**While athletes with various disabilities have been riding and competing for decades, the first organized form of para-equestrian sport arose in Europe in the 1970s for **__**dressage**__**. As interest grew, para-equestrian expanded to include driving, jumping, and other equestrian sports. Para-equestrian dressage continues to be an especially big part of the sport, with competitions being held all over the world.**_

_**Internationally, para-equestrian is supervised by the **__**Federation Equestre Internationale**__** (FEI), which has set standards for the sport, along with other equestrian sports. Riders are classified by their level of disability, with some being encouraged to compete in able-bodied competitions as well as para-equestrian ones, while others compete solely in the para-equestrian arena. Para-equestrian competitions have differing classes, some of which are designed to be easier for people with severe disabilities; for example, a dressage test could be ridden at a walk, without demonstrations of more challenging gaits.**_

_**Because para-equestrian athletes have physical disabilities, they are allowed to use a variety of aids to assist themselves in holding their seats and controlling their horses. They also endure grueling and intensive training which is focused on strengthening the bond between rider and horse, with para-equestrian horses being among the finest athletes in the equine world. In addition to possessing all the traits of horses who work at the elite level, including flexibility, suppleness, and grace, these horses must also be able to work with their riders, alert to subtle cues which could signal a rider in trouble.**_

_**Disabled equestrians appreciate the ability to compete in the para-equestrian arena, traveling to events all over the world to show their horses and meet like-minded people. The level of disability in para-equestrian sports is incredibly varied; everyone from **__**amputees**__** to people with cerebral palsy can be seen competing in para-equestrian. This field is also recognized by the International Paralympic Committee, as well an assortment of other bodies which govern Para-Olympic sport.**_

Germany was quite intruigied as he read the article. Once he was finished with it he got back onto YouTube to search for more Para Equestrian videos.

_End Flashback_

"Vhat about trying Para Equestrian?" Germany suggested.

Austria turned to Germany. "Para vhat?" Germany proceeded to explain Para Equestrian to the man. Austria's face remained emotionless during the entire presentation.

"So, vhill you try it?" Germany asked once he was finished explaining.

Austria shrugged.

"Vhell, if you decide you vhant to, here's a phone number I found on ze in internet. You can call zhem for more information." Germany said. Hepulled a piece of paper from his pocket and quickly jotted down a phone number. He handed the paper to Austria. Austria put the paper in his pocket without looking at it. "I must be going." Germany said. He got up from his chair, turned on his heel, and left. Austria sighed and turned once more to stare at his horses.

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed this! Please put on Story Alert, Favorite, and REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'm sorry for not updating any of my stories for so long. I've been really busy with riding, cosplay, and school work. I will be updating "Boy From Heaven" ASAP. Let's stop my rambling and get on with the story!**

**DISCLAIMER: Austria would be with Prussia if I owned Hetalia: Axis Powers.**

Roderich sat out in the garden (in his wheelchair) staring at his horses just thinking. It had been a week since Ludwig's visit. A week since he learned that there was a chance he could ride again. He sighed and rolled his wheelchair closer to the paddock fence.

The personified country clicked his tongue and one of his horses trotted over to him. It happened to be his favorite out of all of the horses in his herd. The horse was a beautiful pure white stallion. Roderich had chosen to keep the horse's mane long, instead of cutting it short like the rest of his horses. Prussia, or Gilbert Bielshmidt had once told him this particular horse looked like a unicorn because of its immense size, pure white color, long flowing white mane and tail, and graceful build.

Roderich reached over the fence and stroked the creatures nose. "Hello Montero." He whispered. Montero snorted softly into Roderich's hand. The man smiled slightly. It pained Roderich to think that he might have to give away his horses, but the thought of two of them in particular leaving him really touched a nerve. Montero and his brother, Sinatra had been with since they were born. The country had owned the horses mother. Delivering twins had been too much for the poor mare and Roderich had to make the heartbreaking decision to put her to sleep. He then became the twin foals surrogate father and raised them in his own home until they were old enough to be turned out into the pasture. He had bottle fed the two foals around the clock and he had taught them both to stand and walk. He knew nobody would believe this if he told them but both Montero and Sinatra were house trained as if they were dogs!

Sinatra had trotted over next to Montero. He had always been an attention hog and whatever Montero had or did, he wanted to have or do. If you weren't told, you wouldn't even entertain the thought that the two horses were brothers, let alone twins! While Montero was pure white, Sinatra was as black as a crow. The only bit of white on him was a white star in the center of his forehead, but that was usually covered by his long forelock. He had the same long mane and graceful build as his brother, but he was just two hands shorter, at 15.2.

Roderich teared up a bit just thinking about selling his two most beloved horses. '_That's it!_' He thought. '_I can't bear to just give up. I'm going to call that number_.' He patted each horses neck one last time and made his way back into the house.

He went over to his house phone and pulled out the piece of paper with the phone number out of his coat pocket. He shakily dialed the number and prayed someone would pick up.

Someone did. "Hello? This is the International Para-Equestrian Association. How may I help you?" The woman's voice rang clearly over the line.

"Yes, Hello." Roderich began. "I vould like to know how to get involved in Para-Equestrian. My friend vas zhe one who originally told me about it. He gave me your phone number and told me to call you for more information."

"Very well, sir!" The woman responded brightly. "What country do you live in?"

Roderich smirked. "Austria."

"Alright. Are you an Austrian citizen?"

Roderich continued to smirk. "Yes."

"Well Mr…." The woman trailed off.

"Edelstein. Roderich Edelstein." He told the woman.

"Well Mr. Edelstein, according to my records, there is only one Para-Equestrian trainer in Austria that is currently taking students. Would you like me to give you her name?" The woman on the other line told him.

"Yes, please ma'am!" Roderich said.

"Alright sir. Her name is listed as Erin Callaway. Her phone number is 925-348-8432." She told Roderich.

Roderich smiled to himself slightly as he wrote the name and phone number down. "Zhank you. Goodbye."

"Goodbye." The lady responded. Roderich hung up. He grinned to himself and pumped his fist into the air in triumph.

**A/N: So how was this one? I hope it was good! I thought it was. You can tell me by pressing the button that starts with an 'R' at the bottom of the page. Don't worry. It doesn't bite! Montero and Sinatra are the names of real horses I know and the name 'Erin Callaway' is inspired by the names of my two riding instructors. I want you all to tell me, should I make this a PrusAus story? My friend says I should.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm so sorry I haven't updated in forever! I've had summer camps, riding lessons, and final exams, so all that has taken up what little time I have to write. Here is a new chapter of 'You Raise Me Up' for you. I'll probably write another one for you today along with this one. I decided to update this instead of 'Boy From Heaven' to help me through my horse deprivation (I have no riding for two weeks). I hope you enjoy.**

**DISCLAIMER: If I owned Hetalia: Axis Powers, USUK, Franada, GerIta, and PrusAus would all be canon (even though GerIta practically is)!**

Roderich sat in his wheelchair at his kitchen table with the phone in his hand. _'This is it.'_ He thought. _'I'm finally going to make the phone call that will change my life. There's no turning back now.'_ The paraplegic took a deep breath and dialed the phone number he had gotten from the receptionist at the International Para-Equestrian Association.

The phone only rang once before someone picked up. "Hello? This is Erin Callaway." A female voice rang over the other line. She did not have an Austrian accent. In fact, Roderich placed her accent as American.

Roderich took a deep breath and began to speak. "Hello. My name is Roderich Edelstein. I got your number from zhe International Para-Equestrian Association. Is it true zhat you are zhe only Para-Equestrian trainer in Austria?"

"Yes it is, Mr. Edelstein." Erin replied. "May I ask why you have called me?"

"I am a paraplegic." Roderich cringed as he said the word. He hated admitting he was disabled. "I zhought I vas going to have to give up riding after my injury until a friend of mine told me about Para-Equestrian. I zhank him for zhat."

"You have a good friend, Mr. Edelstein." The trainer told Roderich. "Now, if I may ask you, are you paralyzed from the waist down or the neck down?"

"Vaist down." Roderich replied.

"Alright. That makes things easier. It sounds like you have ridden before. Is my assumption correct?" Erin inquired.

"Yes. I've ridden my entire life. I've done dressage my entire life, even airs above ground." The personified country stated proudly.

"Wow." Roderich could here Erin chuckle. "I must say, I'm impressed, even without meeting you."

"Zhank you." Roderich said.

"You're welcome. Now, what would be a good time for you to come down to the barn? I have tomorrow at noon open." Erin offered.

Roderich didn't hesitate with his reply. "Tomorrow at noon is fine. Should I bring my own horse? I am perfectly fine vith trailering."

"Not for your first ride. Your horses probably have a very large gait. We'll put you on something with smaller movement to start out. Just come dressed to ride." Erin told Roderich.

"Zhat I can do." Roderich replied.

Erin chuckled. "Alright then. See you tomorrow at noon. Bye bye!" She hung up.

Roderich hung up the phone, set it on the table, and sped outside as fast as he could push his wheelchair. He slammed on the brakes at the paddock gate and just broke down sobbing. He grabbed the '**HORSES FOR SALE! ALL MUST GO!**' sign off of the fence and tore it into as many pieces as his weakened arm muscles could.

**A/N: Did you like this? I hope you did. Just to clear, I am not paralyzed. I have Cerebral Palsy and I hate admitting I'm disabled as much as Austria does. If you don't know what 'airs above ground' are, get on Youtube and search 'airs above ground dressage'. They are incredible. I will be writing another chapter for you as the horse deprivation is killing me. Please favorite, story alert, author alert, and REVIEW!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Here is that other chapter of 'You Raise Me Up' I said I would write!**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HETALIA: AXIS POWERS! It belongs to some guy whose name I cannot remember or pronounce.**

Roderich sat in his wheelchair in the barn, which was called Sleepy Hollow. He breathed in the smell of hay, polished leather, and horse. '_It's good to be back.'_ He thought with a small smile. A stablehand stepped out of a horses' stall. "Excuse me!" Roderich called, trying to get the stablehand's attention.

The stablehand turned around and each person's mouth dropped open.

"Gilbert?" Roderich exclaimed. There was no denying it was the Prussian personification. From the white hair to the red eyes to the leather jacket, Gilbert Beilschmidt was all there.

"Roddy?" Gilbert's face broke into a huge grin. "Zhis is awesome!"

"Zhis is not 'awesome' and don't call me zhat!" Roderich snapped.

Gilbert laughed. "Vhatever you say. Vhy are you here?" He looked Roderich up and down. The other country was wearing light tan riding breeches, tall black boots, a black belt, and a navy polo. "You're here to see Erin? Zhat's great!"

"No, I am here to feed elephants. Of course I am here to see Erin, you dingbat!" Roderich exclaimed. "A better question vould be, vhy are _you_ here?"

"I vork here." Gilbert smirked.

Roderich paled. _'Oh no. I'm going to have to spend my time at the stable with this creep following me around.'_ He thought.

"Vould you like me to tell Erin you're here?" Gilbert asked. Roderich nodded. Gilbert gave Roderich a smile before walking out of the barn.

Roderich sighed and rolled up to one of the horses. The horse, a bay with a star and snip, poked its head out of the stall and snuffled Roderich's hair. Roderich reached up and stroked the animal's forehead. The horse lowered its head so the wheelchair bound man could rub in between its ears. The horse leaned foreword and nibbled on Roderich's glasses. Roderich would normally push a horse's face away if they behaved like that but right now he didn't care. He was at piece with himself for once.

"He likes you, doesn't he?" A voice behind Austria said. Austria whirled around to see a tall blonde lady standing with Gilbert. The lady walked forward. "Hello. I'm Erin Callaway. We spoke on the phone." Roderich politely nodded and shook her hand. Erin smiled at him. "Gilbert tells me you know each other." She said.

Roderich nodded. "Unfortunately, ve do." Erin laughed and Gilbert pouted.

"All right then! Let's get the horse tacked up, shall we?" Erin said.

Roderich nodded again. "Vhich horse am I going to ride?"

"This bay right here." Erin pointed to the horse who tried to eat Roderich's glasses. "His name is Bailey." She opened the stall door and put Bailey's halter on and clipped his lead rope to his halter. "Would you like to lead him out?"

Roderich nodded and then thought for a second. "How vill I push my vheelchair and lead zhe horse?" He asked.

"I'll push you." Gilbert offered.

Roderich gave the albino a death glare. "Like hell, I'll let you push me." Gilbert pouted.

Roderich thought of a trick he had learned from the internet. He tucked the end of the lead rope under his leg and held the lead rope in his left hand. He clicked his tongue and the horse walked slowly alongside him. Erin and Gilbert followed.

"Sit up straight, Roderich! Look up! Bend your elbows!" Erin called.

"I'm trying!" Roderich called back. It had been hard enough getting the horse to go without the use of his legs, but staying on, even at a walk, was harder. Gilbert was holding onto his leg, which he hated, but he wasn't going to give in. He couldn't turn back now.

After almost an hour Roderich wasn't completely flopped over, but his position still had a long way to go. "Do you want to try some trot?" Erin asked.

Roderich gritted his teeth and nodded. "You ask for it then!" Erin called. Roderich nodded and clicked his tongue until he got a teeny tiny trot. He felt himself bounce around like mad. The Austrian knew he probably looked like an idiot but he didn't care. He was free.

**A/N: Yes, I know, cheesy ending. I couldn't help myself! The horse deprivation is melting my brain! Story alert, favorite, and REVIEW!**


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